The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-02-11

more Stanwood ez' match them which
: hez gone afore him.. I'm a-goin' tel
back prayer an love an patience
agin any faint thur may be in his blood
an, Amos, l beseech We not ter fail
me. fur 1 put greet dependence on We.
says she.
'.Wall, tried ter swallcr my mis-.
givin's. an'-.Miss HESTER says l, I'D
match you agin hundred any day tel
carry yer pint, fur We know how tel
git at the Helper up yender ez never
fails. II dom seem ez eff We need me.
but seein's We want it, l gin We my
promise ter dew all 1 ken fur We, ei
It's Benjamin's boy, an here's my han
ont
"'Thank We. Amos says she. Now
case is this: His mothers folks don
want nothin' ter dew with him. They
| packed him off with mos Ondecent
haste, never givin' me no time ter say
| whuther I'd take him or not. So the
leetlc boy-why. l don even know his
name. AmOs-he'll be here ter-morrer,
an there's scant time ter git the
trundle-bed an t'other fixin's down out
o the garrett an lookin' up sudden, l
ketched her tryin' ter hide smile.
"''Pon my word. says ter Marthy
Ann, she's ez tickled over t ez the
mex UNI
81 went down the lot an begun ter
NOW. but my head was in such muckle.
with them Western folks a-shiftin' all
the Expense an 'sponsibil'ty on Miss
Hester. tibet l he'd a purity tough days
work oa't.
81 wus afcard ez 'twud plague Miss
Hester if / wuzn't roun' when the lee
tie Teller come. so mex day, when the
stage hauled up ter our door, thecr L
WIZ. but not in pertick Ter welcomin'
sparits. He WIZ all alone. fur the man
which bringed him on from Dakoty had
gin him in charge o our stage-driver,
an then lief him. He steps out like Il
leetie man, an looks bout him fur u
m;nnit. an nobody spoke Il word. Then
he goes up ter Miss Hester, an winkin'
back the tears ez s2unky cz could be-
"'Au.t Hetty,' says he, 'i'm Benjie.
Papa sent ne ter We with his bes' love,
an he tol' me ter tell We cz he WIZ very
sorry
Miss Hester melted at the fust
words, fur 'Hetty' wuz Benjamin's
pet name fur her fore ever the on
happiness commenced, an she folded
her arms roun' thet leetle Teller. an
kissed him agin an agin.
Then says he ter her. Aunt Hetty.
is that Amos?' an he shakes hans
with me cz grave ez ledge. Then,
hevin' done up all his business brown.
the tears come a-streamin' down his
checks. an Miss Hester she jes' gcth-
cred him up in her arms, an kerried
him into her bedroom. fur he wusn't
source five-year old, an very small &C
cordin', tew.
wall. tibet lee:le Benjie crawled
right inter the suggest corner o our
hearts. Ter hev him roun' when wuz
a-doin' of the chores. arstin' his hum
dred an one questions. half o which
no mortal cd answer. let alone me.
hinderin' me ways uncomfortable. with
every leetle finger fish-hook. an Yet
the biggcs' kin''o' he!p-'twuz Study
pleasure. An when Miss Hester an
me sot in meeSin'. with Benjie a-tween
us.twuz heavenly ter see the satisfaction
on her face; done me eZ much good eZ
the preachin'.
wall. the years went on. an Benjie
growcd with EN-. regular comfort ter
both on us. don purten' ter say ez
he never done no wrong; but take him
all in all. he wuz bout ez lovin' n
obcjient ez any widc-awsake boy could
be. An truthful! He didn't cit that
from his father. dew believe. though
l don't bear Ben jamin no grudge, tibet
he lied straight long. jes' cause he'd
ruther'n not.
THANK the Lord!' used ter say ter
Miss Hester; .ez long cz Benjie aint
dominated with lyin' lips, I'll resk
him.
.'But theer WIZ one thin bout Ben
jie ez gin me some OneaSineSs. He
wuz so hail-feiler-weil-met' with every
body that l trembled ter think what
comp'ny he might consort with when
he'd oatgrowed Miss Hester n ne. fur
we didn't cousait as he'd alters keep
sech a cont ented h)me-boy.
..;noo ,l,,- NJ. ~. l.I =,
talk bout his futur' He'd larned ali
he could with rs, an Miss Hester WIZ
anxious ez Benjie sii'd 90 10 college:
but. thanks ter Benjamin, she hedn';
got any gret amount o coin lyin' roun'
loose ter SEN him with. Bat we greed
ez we could haul in here an theer. an
some way or 'nUther stub through.
Miss Hester n me didn't gree on one
p'nt, though. l went in fur telling
Benjie ez how 'twuZ only by the skin
o her teeth his aunt I'D be able ter
keep thin's runnin': but she says: No,
let him 90 with min easy an com
fort bic, or not at all. So off he went.
free-and-easy-minded, though twuZ
clear ter me ez he went more ter please
his aunt than hisseif.
"Fust long. every thin's moved on
well; but. after a while. ! begun ter
hev forebodin's. i can't say what made
'em start in on ne, an tried and tried
to poh 'em OFF. His letters come reg
lar ez ever, an Miss Hester she didn't
seem ter see no diff renee. But it
pcarcd ter me ez he said less an less
bout his studies. an wuz all the time
a-harpin' on his chum, which he writ